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Research Questions

Research Questions

  1. How can a lens-based photographic apparatus for a post-photographic era work?
  2. How is Splicer perceived by other disciplines?
  3. How can abstraction in photography help overcome the attention economy?

These questions are addressed in the following pages through an analysis of the theoretical context, the applied development of a photographic apparatus (Splicer), reflective artistic works emerging from this development (here, here and more throughout the document and this document in itself), and collaborative experiments that explore Splicer as both a tool and a discursive framework.

Development Process

The development of Splicer did not follow a linear trajectory. Instead, it emerged through an entangled process in which conceptual speculation, physical construction, and theoretical reflection continuously informed one another. Early ideas concerning photographic abstraction and indexicality demanded testing through material prototyping, while the technical constraints and potentials encountered during construction reshaped the conceptual framework in return.

Just as the images generated by Splicer expose spatial and temporal disjunctions, this website is not intended to be read sequentially. Like most forms of documentation, it is inherently non-linear – an open structure that reflects the iterative, recursive, and interdependent logic of the project it accompanies.

Splicer development process, Summer 2021

SPLICER / DEVELOPMENT, Summer 2021
Side-by-side Stereophotograph, 11.5 x 15.5 cm Pigment prints, Mirror box

Purpose of This Documentation

Furthermore, this online documentation serves multiple purposes. It inhabits a space between functional manual and aesthetic reflection on the practice of open documentation. There is no single prescribed mode of engagement: it can be approached as an instruction booklet, a workshop service manual, software documentation, an artist’s notebook, or even as a reflective art project in its own right.

Access and Philosophy

This website draws inspiration from the many ongoing, idealistic initiatives that advocate for open access to knowledge, software, and hardware. In that same spirit, this manual is made freely available, with the aim of contributing to a shared pool of technical and artistic knowledge. The digital version follows a rolling release model and will be continuously updated, remaining openly accessible to all.